Kerry Washington seriously stuns on the September cover of Self, and while there's no denying the fact that Kerry is naturally blessed with beautiful bone structure and a petite frame, she's no slouch when it comes to a strong and consistent workout routine. This new mama works out six days a week with her trainer Julie Turner — Kerry has even had a small gym space built at the Scandal studio, so she and Julie can squeeze in a workout before shooting! A longtime Pilates devotee, Kerry has stayed committed to this effective workout because of the introspection it brings to her exercise routine:
"There are a lot of forms of exercise where you have to leave yourself out of the room while you force yourself to do this thing . . . With Pilates, I get to bring my true self. I cry, I laugh. I get to go: Where is my body today? What do I need today? How can I take care of myself and push myself past my comfort zone? How can I be both loving and challenging?"
Kerry regularly works out around 6:30 a.m. so she can get back home to new daughter Isabelle on the early side, but it's clear that she maintains this intense workout schedule in order to support her needs: "I have to take care of myself in order to live life the way I want to . . . It's important to have rest days. But in the long run, if I don't work out for, like, three days, I feel worse, not better," she explains.
Read the full interview in the September 2015 issue of Self magazine, available on newsstands Aug. 25.